Zazu (The Lion King: Revisited)
Zazu is a male red-billed hornbill, and Simba's majordomo. Appearance Zazu's feathers are blue, tipped with lines of white and navy at the wingtips and the tailtip. His eyes are black. Personality As the king's majordomo, Zazu is knowledgeable, diplomatic, and stern. He takes his position as a royal advisor very seriously, and carries himself in a no-nonsense—and often times, pompous—manner. Unfortunately, the demanding, and sometimes dangerous nature of his job has left Zazu with a considerable amount of anxiety and emotional instability; he is prone to falling into a panic when things go wrong, and he can be rather irritable and snappish. Because of his fragile temper and high opinion of himself, Zazu is not taken very seriously by the other characters, specifically Simba and Nala, who would often tease the majordomo as children. Similarly, Scar saw Zazu as nothing more than a pest and repeatedly sought to torment the hornbill when given the chance. Even Mufasa has had his share of fun in teasing Zazu. Nevertheless, Zazu is undoubtedly loyal to the king and has proven his usefulness on numerous occasions. As the king's "eyes and ears", Zazu knows all and tells all, especially when trouble arises. If not for Zazu, Simba and Nala would have very well met their demise at the jaws of the hyenas, as it was he who had informed Mufasa of the danger before things could take a turn for the worse. Zazu is also shown to have a sense of humor, as he was able to make a joke about turning Scar into a throw rug (to which he adds that Mufasa can "take him out and beat him whenever he gets dirty"). He also has a quirky habit of sliding blatant puns into his morning reports. History Zazu is first seen flying over the animals heading toward Pride Rock to see the newborn Simba, and bows before Mufasa when he lands on Pride Rock. Zazu is next seen telling Scar about playing with the prey that he has caught. He also warns Scar that he'd better have a good excuse for not attending the presentation of Simba. Annoyed, Scar jumps the bird and temporarily eats him. Just in time, Mufasa shows up to chastise his brother, who reluctantly spits Zazu onto the ground. Now with Mufasa to protect him, Zazu continues berating Scar, reminding him that as the king's brother, he should have been first in line at the ceremony. Unaffected by the chastising, Scar acts rudely toward Mufasa, who asks him if he's proposing a challenge. Scar replies that he would never dream of fighting with Mufasa. Zazu comments that that's a pity and asks why Scar did not want to face his brother in combat, to which Scar replies that his strongest weapon is the brain, and then leaves. Zazu tells Mufasa that every family has one unruly member (and adds that his family has two) and that such family members always spoil special events. Mufasa thoughtfully wonders what to do with Scar, and Zazu jokes that Scar should be made into a good rug. He then adds cheekily that Mufasa should throw him out and beat him whenever he becomes dirty. The two friends leave the cave, chuckling. Months later, Zazu can be seen telling Mufasa the morning report and is pounced on by Simba, who was being coached by Mufasa on pouncing. Zazu then informs Mufasa about a clan hyenas illegally entering the Pride Lands, and Mufasa leaves to intervene in this regard, telling Zazu to take Simba home. Simba is disappointed that he can't attend the fight, but Zazu tries to raise his morale, reminding Simba that he will one day be king and will be able to chase the hyenas from morning till evening. When Simba and Nala agree to go to the Water Hole, Sarabi instructs Zazu to accompany them. Along the way, the cubs perform "I Just Can't Wait to be King", temporarily losing Zazu, but the hornbill finds them again at the Elephant Graveyard. During the encounter with the hyenas, he is captured by the hyenas and exploded out the top of a geyser. He reappears as Mufasa fights off the hyenas, implying that he must have warned the king about the cubs being in danger. He is later frowned down upon by Mufasa for not protecting the cubs. That evening, Zazu, Nala, Simba, and Mufasa return home. At one point, Mufasa stops and angrily calls Zazu to him. Zazu fearfully asks him what he wants, and Mufasa tells him that he needs to take Nala home while Simba will stay with Mufasa for a father-son talk. Zazu comes to cubs and tells Nala that they should go. He then turns to Simba and puts his wings on the cub's shoulders, wishing him luck. He and Nala then go home. Later, Zazu is with Mufasa near the Gorge and is alerted by Scar that a stampede of wildebeests is occurring with Simba in danger. Zazu flies down to the Gorge and finds Simba hanging from the edge of a dead tree. In a panic, he informs Mufasa, who throws himself into the stampede after his son. As Zazu watches the stampede, he reacts in panic and tries to look for help before he is struck by Scar into a wall and rendered unconscious. When Scar gives his eulogy to Mufasa and Simba, Zazu is shown comforting Sarabi. He also briefly appears in a scene after Scar assumes the kingship of the Pride Lands, imprisoned and is being forced to entertain Scar by singing songs. First, he tries "It's a Small World," only for Scar to interrupt, asking for another song, to which Zazu sings "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts." As Scar enjoys singing this new tune, Zazu laments not having to do this for Mufasa, and Scar quickly interrogates him and warns him never to mention that name in his presence. When the hyenas come in to complain about the lack of food and water, Scar casually tells them to eat Zazu, but the hornbill frantically insists that he'd be too tough and gamey. Later on, Simba returns to reclaim his throne, and Zazu welcomes him back. Simba, the lionesses, Pumbaa, Timon, Ma, Uncle Max and Rafiki battle the hyenas. Zazu pleads with Timon to let him out of the ribcage he is imprisoned in, but Timon shoves his way inside the ribcage instead as he is pursued by the hyenas. Pumbaa comes to the rescue and chases away the hyenas after Banzai accidentally insults him. Zazu is freed along with Timon. Finally, Zazu witnesses Simba's ascension to the throne during the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub. After Kion fails to show his friends the Roar of the Elders, Zazu leads Simba to his son and stands by as Simba has a stern talk with Kion and then leaves with his king after the talk is over. In the midst of preparing for the final battle for the Pride Lands against Scar's spirit and his army of Outlanders, Zazu gathers Shujaa and Hadithi to help fight against Scar. He reports to Simba that the Lion Guard has gathered all of the other herds, before continuing his search for news happening in the Pride Lands. After Scar's defeat and Ushari's death, Zazu bids the Lion Guard his farewell before they begin their journey to the Tree of Life. Years later, when Kiara is a young lioness, Zazu assures Simba that she will be fine on her first hunt until Simba notices that a wildfire has started. Zazu is sent ahead by Simba to find Kiara. When Zazu finds that Kiara is being rescued by Kovu, he reports the information back to Simba. After Kovu asks to join the pride, Zazu notes that royal law demands that debts (such as the one Simba owes Kovu for rescuing Kiara) must be repaid, though he is quite happy to make an exception. Later, after Simba is injured in an ambush by Zira and the Outsiders, he is sent by Kiara to find help. Hearing that the Outsiders were preparing to attack, he reacts and reports to Simba. At the same time, he learns that Kiara has fled the Pride Lands, to which Simba sends Zazu to find her. After Zira's demise and the reunion of the Outsiders and the Pride Landers, Zazu spectates the wedding of Kiara and Kovu, a ceremony which makes Timon and Pumbaa start crying with happiness. Annoyed, Zazu shields himself from the wetness of their tears. Shortly after the Battle of the Lion Guards, Zazu attends the coronation of Kion, who decides to remain at the Tree of Life to become its king and Rani's mate. Quotes Behind the scenes * Zazu is voiced by Rowan Atkinson. Category:WindowsMyers2018 Category:Characters Category:Original Characters Category:Males Category:Hornbills Category:Birds Category:Adults Category:Pride Landers Category:The Lion King: Revisited